Buoy lamp



F. R. DYKE.

BUOY LAMP.

APPLICATION HLED NOV. \3, 1917.

Patented Au 12, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

F. R. DYKE.

BUOY LAMP.

APPLICATION FILED May. 13. 1911.

1,313,1 72. Patented Aug. 12,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

7 Pat n ed Aug- 12. 1919- Application filed November 13, 1917. Serial No. 201,808.

To all whomz't may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS R. DYKE, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Dartmouth, in the Province of Nova Scotia and Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Buoy-Lamps; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in buoy lamps specially designed for usein lighting up cable buoys during night operations on submarine cable repair work, and the invention has for its primary object to provide an electrically operated lamp equipped with a clock controlled circuit closer for automatically making and breaking the circuit to the electric lamps at predetermined time intervals.

' Another object is the provision of a device of this character, in which the parts are fully protected against the action of the elements, but are readily accessible for repair or replacement.

With these and other objects in View, the invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described and claimed and set forth in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 represents a front elevation of the lamp,

Fig. 2 represents a vertical sectional vlew therethrough,

Fig. 3 represents a horizontal sectional view taken through the casing of the lamp 1n a plane above the partition or shelf therein,

Fig. 4: represents a horizontal sectional view through the lamp globe, I

Fig. 5 represents a fragmentary front elevation of the clock mechanism, the indicating disk being removed, 7

r 1g. 6 represents a detail sectional view on the line 66 of Fig. 2, and p Fig. 7 represents a perspective view of the rotary and-spring contact elements of the circuit closer also illustrating diagrammatically the electrical circuit to the lamps.

Referring to the drawings in detail wherein similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the numeral 10 indicates a substantially rectangular casing having an open front engaged by the closure plate 11 provided with a rabbeted edge receiving a gas- :studs 23 carried by the top and coacting with thumb nuts 24.

ket 12 to prevent the admission of water or moisture to the interior of the casing. The vertical edges of the front plate 11 are formed with a plurality of pairs of s aced ears 13 receiving the pivoted'bolt shan 1 L carried by the casing 10 on which thumb nuts 15 are threaded to forcibly draw the front plate against the open front of the easing.

The casing 10 is provided with internal horizontal flanges 16 supporting the removalble partition or shelf 17, which divides the interior of the casing into clock mechanism and battery receiving chambers 18 and 19 respectively,and the top of the casing is provided with a circular flange 20 receiving the globe or lens 21 forthe incandescent lamps, which will be hereinafter more fully described. A top plate 22 covers the upper open end of the globe 21 and the lowers'un face thereof is preferably polished to provide a reflector for projecting the light rays from the incandescent lamps downwardly wlth relation to the casing 10. The top plate, as stated, forms a closure for the upperend of theglobe 21 and it is secured in position by integral vertically projecting of the casing 10 The angular terminals of a handle 25 are pivotally secured by straps 26, carried by the top plate 22 and the casing may be secured in position upon a buoy staff or other support by eye-bolts 27 carried by one side wall thereof.

The top wall of the casing lO is provided with an opening 28 receiving the lamp support 29 having a flanged'base 30, which is seated against the front face of the top wall of the casing and is bolted or otherwise secured thereto as indicated at 31 in such manner that it can be conveniently removed when necessary.

A forked arm 32 carryinglamp sockets at its upper terminal is positioned in the support 29 and receives the incandescent lamps 33.

A plurality of electric batteries 34: are supported in the lower chamber 19 o-fthe casing and are preferably connected in multiple series. One pole of the battery is connected directly by a conductor 35 with the lamps 33, and the other conductor 36 having connection with the lamps is connected with a binding post 37 secured in an insulator 38, which latter is carried by the casing stituting an abutment for the disk 45, which is preferably constructed of insulating material and is secured in position uponthe arbor 43 by the nut 46. An indicator disk 47suitablymarked to represent the hours of the day is positioned against the front surface of the disk 45 and the latter may be readily adjusted upon the arbor 43 by simply l oo sening the nut 46.

A portion of the periphery of the insulating disk45 is cut away and a: segmental contact plate 48 is set into the recess and pivotally secured therein. A pair of spaced spring contact fingers 49 are secured to the insulator 38 and are connected,'respectively, with the binding posts37 and Y40. The spring contact fingers 49- are disposed in spaced relation and thus interrupt the circuit to the lamps 33, but as the free terminals ofthe fingers are engaged by the segmental contact-plate 48 an electrical connection is established between the fingers and the circuit to the lamps 33- is completed.

Inorder that the lamps 33 maybe caused to burn for varying. predetermined periods, each buoy lamp is equipped with a series of interchangeable disks 45 provided with segmental contact plates 48 of varying lengths. For instance, when it is desired to maintain the lamps 33 in operationfor ten hours, a

disk 45 having a segmental contact plate 48 of sufficient length to remain in contact with the spring arms 49 for ten hours is selected, and in adjusting the disk so that the contact betweenthe spring fingers 49 and plate 48 may be made at apredetermined time,

the indicator disk47 is utilized iii properly adjusting the insulating disk 45 upon the arbor 43. l

-What I claim is:

1, In circuit, controlling means, a clock mechanism, a disk of electrical insulating material mountedv on the main arbor of said termined relation to the arbor of the clock mechanismfand in rubbing contact with the peripheral surface of the disk so as to engage said contact strip during rotation of said disk, a setting disk-mounted on the arbor ad] acent the first mentioned disk and graduated to indicate time intervals, and means for releasably securing said setting disk and said first mentioned diskflupon the arbor so as to permit the disk carrying the contact strip to be turned about the arbor so as to space the forward edge of the contact strip a predetermined time interval in back of the point of contact between the disk and the contact fingers indicated by the setting disk.

2. In circuitcontrolling means, a clock mechanism, a disk of electrical insulating material mounted on the main arbor of said mechanism for rotation therewith, a contact strip carried by said disk and extending a predetermined distance about the same, spaced contact fingers mounted in pre determined relation to the arbor of the clock mechanism and in rubbing contact with the peripheral surface of the disk so as to engage said contact strip during rotation of said disk, a setting disk mounted on the arboradjacent the first mentioned disk and graduated to indicate time intervals, and means for releasably securing said setting disk and said first mentioned disk upon the arbor so as to permit the diskicarrying the contact strip to be turned about the arbor so as to space the forward edge of the contact strip a'predetermined time interval in back of the point of contact between the disk and the contact fingers indicated bythe settingdisk, said securing means being adapted to permit complete removal of the contact strip carrying disk from the arbor shaft soastoa securing nut screwed upon the end portion of said shaft and serving to force the disk into tight frictional engagement with the shoulder of the shaft, said shoulder and nut codperating to releasably Secure/the disk uponthe arbor shaft;

In testimonyj'whereof I afiix my in presence of two Witnesses.

FRANCIS R. DYKE.

signature Witnesses: I

' FRANK POWER,

M. DUDDY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five-cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of ratents,

Washington, D. G. 

